Absolutely beautiful venue. Absolutely horrible owner. Hope seemed like such a nice person leading up to the actual day before and day of the wedding. The first thing that really through me off was the fact that she ran up to me in the middle of our rehearsal in front of everyone and got really flustered that we touched her curtains. I totally understand the reasons behind not being able to touch them, but maybe could’ve told us that beforehand or if it was in the fine printed contract, at least remind us. She could’ve went about it in a different way. Second, she was texting my wedding coordinator ALL DAY bothering her about every single thing we did because she sat in her office the whole time watching the cameras. Third, she told us there would be staff to help us move chairs from the ceremony space to the reception space, there was no one. Our family and friends took the time away from our cocktail hour and taking photos to move the chairs. Fourth, what was supposed to be our “sweetheart table” went missing the day of the wedding so they gave us a monster size round table, so we switched our own tables around (since there was no one to help) and, you guessed it, my coordinator got yelled at for that too. AND about 2-3 weeks AFTER our wedding, we got asked if we TOOK one of their tables… Fifth, our photo/video team, who have done multiple weddings around Florida, also pointed out that they did not feel accommodated because of her and will never do another event at this venue. And there’s probably a few other small things that I don’t need to make a fuss about. Again, this venue is so beautiful. But I 1000% DO NOT recommend booking your wedding here because of the owner alone. It just seems like she doesn’t actually want to accommodate her wedding couples, especially if they use her rentals. Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

This venue has such great potential. The cons outweighed the pros so much that I would not recommend this to anyone. Pros: Beautiful main hall and entrance. Tables and chairs were already set out. No breakdown of tables or chairs No cleaning necessary Cons: Hot! There were 5 plug in ac units and a loud big plug in fan to cool the place down (that never cooled down) The owner was very sarcastic and rude when she spoke to anyone. Upon leaving the owner said if you have anything you can call or text me. We told her we didn’t have her number and her response was “ I like it that way”. Then gave us her card. Owner kept mentioning how she was watching us on the cameras. Owner kept pushing her way on the layout and floor plan. After we moved tables around, she would keep throwing indirects of how that’s not what (Her) floor plan said. The bathroom stalls were extremely small. If you had to sit down. Your knees would almost hit the door that was a piece of painted plywood with a handle. We had to set up in the dark. The owner said she would be by before the start of the event to turn on the lights. To only turn on half of the lights.

This was such a gorgeous venue for my client’s Christmas gala.

Terrible facility owner. She is so hard to deal with, very impossibly demanding, and has terrible anger problems. She has given me and my church an unnecessary, terrible time... She came and yelled and went off on my mother for something that was absolutely minuscule, and we couldn't believe it. My whole church was so surprised. I have never seen such unprofessionalism and anger from a facility owner like that before. We will not be back, and I strongly advise to be cautious if you are thinking about renting space here.. Especially for your special wedding day...

Every 3rd Sunday of the month, the Tampa Indie Flea Market is here in this gorgeous building. I'm not sure what the building is used for other than this, but I know it certainly adds to the ambience of the Indie Flea.

When I saw this online I loved it! And when the owner gave us a tour of the venue she was super nice and helpful. But once everything was booked, the experience changed drastically. During the setup on the night of the event, the owner was very bossy and rude. She was trying to micromanage everything which was very unexpected and not at all necessary. She had a big industrial fan in the space, but that wasn’t enough. IT WAS VERY VERY HOT. After the event and we had cleaned everything up, she told us we were good to go. Then about 10 days later she emailed me saying we weren’t getting our security deposit back. She claimed that someone had went into the bathroom and placed a whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet which supposedly caused a backup. She said a plumber had to come out and fix it and because of this she was going to use my security deposit to cover the cost. No proof or any kind of invoice was provided. Extremely unprofessional and frankly I wonder if she’s even telling the truth because it sounds bizarre. In conclusion, the space is beautiful but keep in mind that your experience with the owner of the venue may have a significantly negative impact on your overall experience.

I attended an event here for a good friend of mine. I arrived early to help and notice the owner was being extremely rude to my friend and his family who were all helping set up for the event. I was shocked that an owner would even be present while an event is being set up. Who is she to even tell my friend and his family her vision? No honey it's their vision, not yours. I believe she overstepped in so many ways. Very unprofessional. It was so hot that my makeup had to be reapplied before the event actually started. She would only provide one fan and the space was over 3000 sq. ft. Clearly, they need more A/C units. The event was beautiful due to my friend's vision of coming ALIVE. But the added stress this lady gave was absolutely unnecessary. Only to find out later after they cleaned up after the event and once again, she was present and said it was fine, but had the nerve to not refund their deposit. The AUDACITY! DO NOT RENT HERE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE BOSSED AROUND BY THE OWNER. Hi, I saw your response and you clearly have the wrong person. I never once cornered you or spoke to you at all. I never even offered to help, I left early. I would appreciate it if you take your allegations to the correct person. It only validates my statement that you were rude to multiple people.

Mixed feelings on this review. We had a last minute change at a prior venue and Rialto accepted us with open arms and was patient and accommodating while we transitioned to their venue. The space is beautiful and was perfect for our art show. Its a historic building and the a/c wasnt the best, once our 200+ guests were in the space it got warm and a little uncomfortable. Like other reviews, I didnt like the fact that we couldnt contact the venue by phone/text. Email only. Which made it inconvenient when I was outside the building trying to get in and had to wait on an email response for over 30 minutes. The venue owner was helpful during set up but also overly managed the process. I also received complaints from vendors after the show that she wasnt pleasant at times. Overall I think a few customer service adjustments and better a/c system would make Rialto a 5 star venue.

This building is so beautiful but the heat and hope make it not worth your time! Don’t leave your special day to this venue. You will be disappointed! Side note:I am the Domestic Partner (upgraded boo I'm on the insurance I know you got the memo in court) to her ex but does that take away from being treated poorly by the owner when invited to an event. What happens if you invite someone she doesn't like.... This post should be proof. For the record if you ask Hope I also tried to solicit a hit man and she even called crimestoppers to report. Her lies and delusions know no bounds. She is delusional and unstable AVOID THIS BUSINESS. Don't trust your special day to a Narcissist. People need to know how my experience was there as an invited guest! Rebuttal: LOL SEE WHAT I MEAN NOW IM A THEIF AND BREAKING THINGS! Avoid this place like the plague. I have done none of the sort if it was true why do I have no record? I have all the evidence showing how you have actually lied ALL THESE STATEMENTS ARE TRUE! My feelings are the majority as most of Tampa feels the same way after meeting or working with you don't believe read the reviews and see how little reviews compared to the many events that have been there!

We had our wedding at the Rialto and it was beautiful! Hope was great to work with and was helpful in helping us reschedule our wedding from 2020 to 2021 due to Covid.

Beautiful venue, great for vintage/rustic weddings and pictures...great history. Could use some improvement with the ac during bigger parties...got really warm during cocktail hour.

So glad this theater was preserved and is incredible art space now, as well as events. easy public parking. Great businesses near by walk from downtown for more fun activities.

We recently got married in February 2023, and we couldn't be happier with our decision to choose The Rialto Theatre as our wedding venue. Living in Florida, we wanted something different from the typical beach, barn, or hotel ballroom weddings that are so common in the Tampa area. Inspired by the electric vibe of cities like NYC, we envisioned a downtown wedding with a touch of vintage charm. With our ceremony taking place at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, we needed a venue conveniently located nearby. The Rialto, a converted 1920s theatre, perfectly fit the bill and offered a truly unique experience for our guests. One of the standout features of The Rialto is its stunning architecture. The giant archway and brick wall in the back add an incredible amount of character to the venue. Stepping into the theatre, it felt like we were transported back in time. The atmosphere was absolutely enchanting, and it created a memorable backdrop for our special day. We were pleasantly surprised by the affordability of The Rialto compared to other popular venues like Armature Works or Oxford Exchange. The fact that it came as a blank canvas was actually a blessing in disguise. We had the freedom to handpick each vendor and bring our vision to life. This allowed us to stay within our budget and find vendors that perfectly matched our preferences. While The Rialto doesn't come fully equipped with everything, they do provide a small inventory of tables, chairs, and vintage furniture, which we found to be quite helpful. However, one limitation we encountered was the inability to hang anything on the walls. The rest of the walls, apart from the brick wall, were a bright stark white, which gave the venue a somewhat sterile look in our wedding photos. In hindsight, we would have invested in draping or finding creative ways to decorate the walls to add more visual interest. Another aspect to consider is that The Rialto does not have a kitchen, which meant we were unable to have a seated dinner. As we had a 115-person wedding and utilized the entire main area for seating, the lack of a pop-up kitchen posed a challenge. We opted for a buffet-style dinner, which ended up being cost-effective, but it's something to keep in mind if you have your heart set on a seated dinner. One concern we initially had was the feedback we heard about the owner from other vendors. Many of them expressed their frustrations with working with the owner of the venue. However, we had a completely different experience. Throughout our planning process and even on the wedding day, we had no negative interactions with Hope, the owner. Our wedding planner handled any potential issues that may have arisen, and we didn't encounter any problems ourselves. All in all, The Rialto Theatre provided us with an extraordinary wedding experience. Its vintage charm, unique atmosphere, and affordable pricing set it apart from other venues in the Tampa area. While there were a few limitations, such as the white walls and lack of a kitchen for a seated dinner, the overall experience surpassed our expectations. We highly recommend The Rialto to couples looking for an unconventional and vibrant wedding venue that will leave a lasting impression on their guests.

I visited the Railto and as an officiant & wedding guest (reason for the 4 stars). The space is nice - rustic, old and big. Plenty of room for a cocktail hour, ceremony space and later on dinner and dancing. At no point did the space feel crowded. Taylor, the event coordinator, knew her stuff. She ushered everyone with open arms and had the schedule down pat. Taylor made sure the bridal party and guests were taken care of and had a special room aside for the bridal party to get ready. The restrooms were lovely and there is a small art collection which was great to see during the cocktail hour. The caterer, Amicis Catering, was phenomenal. My one piece where they could improve is to get a 2nd (maybe even a 3rd) industrial fan. It's understandable (and part of the charm) the age of the building could limit the AC improvements that can be done. The one fan was somewhat hidden by the DJ equipment - not sure if it was for the equipment or for the dancers, but another fan where the guests were eating could have been helpful. Several of us spent the evening outside because the breeze was cooler. Overall, as a guest I was happy. I could see that the bride and groom were happy as well. This is certainly a venue to consider.

Such a beautiful space! I just love classy and historic venues, and that describes the Rialto. I can’t wait to host our next event there!

The Rialto Theatre is on of the most historic landmarks in Tampa Florida history. I’m thankful to have had the experience as a DJ to play in such a historic Venue

I love working weddings at Rialto, and I love the history and the story behind this building. I started shooting some of my very first weddings as a photographer here, and now I’m even more excited that I get to have my own wedding here in the upcoming months!

A pretty cool venue for receptions and other events.

I’m OBSESSED with the Rialto. It’s such a gorgeous venue and I love Hope’s focus on being green and featuring local artists in the gallery. Throughout my wedding planning process, Hope was so kind and patient with all of my questions, and she really made everything come together. I can’t think of a more perfect place to have my wedding day.

Very cool old theater of yore which can be rented for private functions Owner seems ultra cool. I personally would love love love to win the lotto and rent it for living space! 🙃

Pros: Gorgeous venue for the wedding, plenty of space, speedy bar service. Cons: There were no trash cans and no staff walking around to pick up garbage from appetizers, could not hear anything going on during the wedding, and staff was taking away food before people were even done eating.

Attended a wedding reception at the Rialto Theatre last weekend. An old theatre gutted for venues. They had an area for cocktail hour with plenty of room for two bar stations and a DJ. The main dining area was closed with curtains until the main event. This wedding was at full capacity (175) with nice dance floor and never felt crammed in. Very nice touch.

I actually rented this place for a video project. Very cool! Tons of little details you wouldn’t usually notice. And the host was great and communicated well. Overall great experience.

One of the few venues in Tampa that you can bring your own vendors on top it being an Historic space of Tampa's history.

Hall was great but when the party got going it was very hot. They could use some fans to move the air around. However the place is very nice and the owner is on top of her venue.

Went here for a wedding reception and had a great time. Perfect facility for things like this. A small amount of parking across the street but more down the road.

We could not have dreamed of a better venue to host our wedding! This historic building is absolutely gorgeous. There are tons of details that add beauty and character to the aesthetic, but not so many that it takes away from the vision for your special event! It's truly the perfect blank canvas. Hope was also very accommodating and helpful, and was always available to answer any questions our planner had as we worked to coordinate each detail for our big day. With lots of vendors, it was also a huge plus that we had access to the venue starting at noon, and as late as 2 a.m. afterward. MUCH more accommodating than some of the other locations we looked into! We truly had the most wonderful wedding day experience, and would highly recommend the Rialto for your future events!